Jan 30, 2012

Penne pasta is tossed with garlicky escarole, lean Italian chicken sausage, cannellini beans, crushed red pepper and grated cheese. I cannot even begin to describe how good this is, I hope the photos can at least do this dish some justice! If you can't find escarole use kale.

I've tried many alternatives to Italian pork sausage, not because I don't like pork but because I have a hard time finding lean pork sausage. I'm a bit picky when it comes to Italian food growing up here in New York where we're surrounded by great Italian restaurants and stores so finding a good sausage alternative is not easy. I must say, I'm pretty impressed with Al Fresco's uncooked Italian sweet chicken sausage if your lucky enough to find that near you give it a try. I can't vouch for their cooked sausages since I haven't tried them. Turkey Italian sausage would work just as well in this dish.

This pasta is a winner with everyone in my home, even the picky kids. You can easily make this gluten free by using brown rice pasta. Or make it vegetarian by leaving the sausage out, using vegetable broth and adding another cup of beans. Enjoy!!

Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente in a large pot of salted water. Reserve 1/2 cup water before draining.

While pasta water boils, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil; when hot add onions, garlic, salt and pepper until soft, about 4-5 minutes.

Add sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon and cook until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside in a dish. Add chicken broth and beans to the skillet.

Add the escarole; stir and cook about 4 minutes or until wilted.

Gently stir in sausage, pasta, red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup of the reserved water or more if needed and grated Parmesan. Adjust salt and pepper if needed and toss well; transfer to a large serving bowl. Enjoy with some extra cheese on the side.

I just discovered Al Fresco's cooked chicken sausage this weekend & enjoyed the country style for breakfast this morning....delicious! I will definitely be making this recipe soon. I made your Turkey White Bean Pumpkin chili last night & even my picky eaters enjoyed it! Love your site...thanks for all you do!

Hi there...sounds wonderful tho will have to sub 2 things...escarole is unheard of here so you think baby English spinach would work? also...we don't have low fat or for that matter any fat Italian chicken sausages...what would you recommend to use instead...definitely down the chicken path tho...i believe my kids would love this recipe...thanks...xxx

Made this tonight and it was delicious!!! Only problem is that I ate more than I was supposed to with Weight Watchers!! :) I used Kale instead of Escarole which I couldn't find. Thank you.....I love this blog and so does my family!!

This was SO SO SO SO SO good. Amazing. Anytime I make a new dish from this site I am impressed and this one was exceptionally over the top tasty. As my husband always says, "Gina never lets us down!" Thanks Gina for another great recipe to add to my list of healthy options. BTW, I made this with that Fiber Gourmet pasta that is only 100 cal per 2 oz. and was able to up the portion size with the same great taste. Just wonderful!

Okay, so I have a silly question. I have been making your recipes for 2 years now and LOVE them ALL! But when it comes to the pasta recipes I get confused when you say 10 ounces or whatever it is supposed to be. When I measure pasta in my measuring cup it always seems to be way too little. How and when do you measure your pasta ounces? Is it before cooking or after and what do you use to measure? Thanks Gina. I want to make sure I get it right.

This was great! I like my sauce a little on the thick side so I also added 1/4 cup white wine for more flavor and a tablespoon of flour, it created an amazingly delicous coating on the pasta that wasn't too runny! This is a great dish! my hubby loved it!

We just finished this pasta dish. Definitely restaurant quality. Amazing. We're making your crab cakes AGAIN tomorrow and the new pulled pork the next day. We LOVE your recipes!! Where is the cooking show?? Should we start writing Food Network for you?

I don't usually comment, but I made this last night and it was outstanding. Much better than i was even expecting. Probably one of my top pasta dishes I have made. My kids (ages 7, 5 and 2) all loved it to, though they did pick out the Kale (they don't like greens). The Kale substituted worked out great.

We had this for dinner tonight. I had to use Angel Hair pasta because I forgot to buy the other kind, but wow! What a lot of flavor in this dish! Even my husband enjoyed it and he's never had escarole or chicken sausage before! Wonderful...I'm so happy my daughter told me about this site! I'm actually having fun cooking!

Delish! I used kale and Trader Joes's chicken sausage. This was filling and tasted fresh. Love. Will definitely make again. In fact, I have been making a Skinnytaste recipe everyday for the last two weeks. I'm going to start reviewing them from now on. Comments from those who actually make the dish are so helpful!

If I make this with Dreamfields pasta would my points change at all? Also, I am so so excited to have come across your web site. Your recipes sound and look so so delicious I can't wait to try them all! This will be my first to try!! I have a very picky 14 yr. old girl. Will let you know how it goes. Thank you again!!!

Thank you once again, Gina... Another delicious recipe! I made this tonight but substituted kale for the escarole since I had some in the fridge that needed used up. I have lost 43 pounds through Weight Watchers, and YOU have made this an incredible, delicious journey... Thank You!!!